CHAPTER-1

PRELIMINERIES

This chapter deals with some basic definitions which are needed for the subsequent

chapters.

Definition 1.1

A graph G is an ordered pair (V, E) comprising a set V of vertices or nodes together with

a set E of edges or lines, which are 2 – element subsets of V.

Given two vertices u and v of a graph G, the edge e = {u,v} joins u and v. Common

notation for the edge e = {u, v} is uv.

If e = uv is an edge of G, then u and v are called adjacent vertices, u and e are incident

and v and e are incident.

If e1 and e2 are distinct edges of G with a common vertex v, then e1and e2 are called

adjacent edges incident with v.

Example 1.2

G:

Figure 1.1

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 In the graph G given in Figure 1.1, the vertices v1 and v2 are adjacent, since there is an

edge joining v1 and v2.

The edges v3v4 and v4v5 are adjacent, since v4 is a common vertex for both the two edges.

Definition1.3

A set of vertices in a graph G is independent if no two vertices in the set are adjacent. If

two or more edges join the same pair of (distinct) vertices, then these edges are called parallel

edges .If an edge e joins a vertex v to itself, then e is called a loop. A graph G without loops and

parallel edges is called a simple graph.

Example 1.4

G:

Figure 1.2

In the graph G given in Figure 1.2, the edges e4 and e5are parallel edges. Also the edge e2

is a loop.

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Example 1.5

G:

Figure 1.3

The graph G given in Figure 1.3 having no loops or multiple edges is simple graph.

Definition1.6

A graph G with a finite number of vertices as well as a finite number of edges is called a

finite graph. Otherwise it is an infinite graph.

Definition1.7

The order of a graph is │V│, the number of vertices and the size of a graph is │E│, the

number of edges.

Example 1.8

G:

Figure 1.4

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 In the graph G given in Figure 1.4, the number of vertices = 5

Therefore order of the graph = │V│ = 5

The number of edges = 9

Therefore size of the graph = │E│= 9

Definition1.9

The degree of a vertex is the number of edges incident on it, and it is denoted by deg (v).

(An edge that connects to the vertex at both ends (a loop) is counted twice).

Example 1.10

G:

Figure 1.5

In the graph G given in the Figure 1.5, deg (‫ݒ‬ଵ ) = 4, deg(‫ݒ‬ଶ ) = 2, deg(‫ݒ‬ଷ ) = 3, deg(‫ݒ‬ସ ) = 4,

deg (‫ݒ‬ହ ) = 3, deg(‫ = ) ଺ݒ‬3, deg(‫ = ) ଻ݒ‬1.

Definition1.11

For any graph G, Ɂ(G) = min {deg (v)ോv‫ א‬V(G)} and

ȟ(G) = max {deg (v)ോv‫א‬V(G)}.

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Definition1.12

A regular graph is a graph where each vertex has the same degree. A regular graph with

vertices of degree k is called a k- regular graph or regular graph of degree k.

Example 1.13

G:

Figure 1.6

The graph G given in the Figure 1.6 is 3 – regular graph.

Definition 1.14

A graph G is said to be complete if there is an edge joining every pair of vertices of G

(that is any two vertices are adjacent). The complete graph with n vertices is denoted by Kn.

Example 1.15

۹૞:

Figure 1.7

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Definition 1.16

The graph with only one vertex and no edge is called the trivial graph. Graphwith only

vertices and no edge is known as an edgeless graph. The graph with no vertices and no edges is

sometimes called the null graph or empty graph.

Example 1.17

G: Trivial graph G:Edgeless graph

. ࢜૚ ࢜૚ ..࢜૛

.࢜૜

Figure1.8 Figure 1. 9

Definition 1.18

A walk is an alternating sequence of vertices and edges, beginning and ending with

vertices, such that each edge is incident with the vertices preceding and following it.

Definition 1.19

A walk is called a trial if all the edges appearing in the walk are distinct. A walk is

called a path if all the vertices are distinct.

Example 1.20

G:

Figure 1.10

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 The graph G given in the Figure 1.10

(1) ‫ݒ‬ଵ ݁ଵ ‫ݒ‬ଶ ݁ଶ ‫ݒ‬ଷ ݁ଽ ‫ݒ‬ହ ݁ହ ‫ݒ‬ଶ ݁ଵ ‫ݒ‬ଵ is a walk

(2) ‫ݒ‬ଵ ݁ଵ ‫ݒ‬ଶ ݁ହ ‫ݒ‬ହ ݁ଽ ‫ݒ‬ଷ ݁ଷ ‫ݒ‬ସ ݁ସ ‫ݒ‬ହ is a trial

(3) ‫ݒ‬ଵ ݁ଵ ‫ݒ‬ଶ ݁ହ ‫ݒ‬ହ ݁ଽ ‫ݒ‬ଷ ݁ଷ ‫ݒ‬ସ is a path.

Definition 1.21

A cycle is a closed path of nonzero length that does not contain a repeated edge. The

length of a cycle is the number of edges in the cycle. A cycle on n vertices is denoted by Cn.

Example 1.22

C7:

Figure 1.11

Definition 1.23

A bipartite graph G is a graph whose point set V can be partitioned into two subsets V1

and V2such that every line of G joins an element of V1with an element of V2.If G contains every

line joining each element of V1with all elements of V2, then G is a complete bipartite graph. The

complete bipartite graph with bipartition (V1, V2) such that │V1 │= m and │V2│= n is denoted

by Km,n.

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Example 1.24

G:

Figure 1.12

The graph G given in the Figure 1.12 is a bipartite graph.

K2, 3:

Figure 1.13

Definition1.25

A star graph denoted by Sn is the complete bipartite graph K1, n.

Example 1.26

K1, 6:

Figure 1.14

The graph G given in the Figure 1.14 is a star graph denoted by S6.

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Definition 1.27

A tree is an undirected graph in which any two vertices are connected by exactly one

simple path. In other words a tree is a connected graph with no cycle (acyclic).

Example 1.28

G:

Figure 1.15

The graph G given in the Figure 1.15 is a tree.

Definition 1.29

A forest is a collection of trees.

Definition 1.30

The square of a graph G (or the second power of a graph) denoted by G2is a graph

having the same set of vertices as G and two vertices in G2are adjacent if and only if there is a

path of length atmost two between them in graph G.

Example 1.31

ࡼ૛૞ :

Figure 1.16

The graph given in the Figure 1.16 is the square of the path P5.

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Definition 1.32

Let G and H be two graphs with vertex sets V(G), V(H) and edge sets E(G), E(H)

respectively.

If V(H) ‫ ك‬V(G) and E(H) ‫ ك‬E(G) then H is a sub graph of G.

If V(H) ‫ؿ‬V(G) and E(H)‫ ك‬E(G) then H is a proper sub graph of G.

If V(H) = V(G) and E(H) ‫ ك‬E(G) then H is a spanning sub graph of G.

Let G be a graph with vertex set V and edge set E. If U is a subset of V, then the sub

graph G(U) of G whose vertex set is U and whose edge set comprises exactly the edges

of E which join vertices in U is termed as an induced sub graph of G.

Example 1.33

Figure 1.17

In the Figure 1.17, G1is an induced sub graphof G; G2 is a spanning sub graph of G.

Definition 1.34

The union of two graphsG1 = (V1, E1) and G2 = (V2, E2) is the graph G denoted by

G1‫׫‬G2whose vertex set V = V1‫׫‬V2 and the edge set E = E1‫׫‬E2.

The intersection G1‫ת‬G2 of graphs G1and G2 is a graph G consisting only of those vertices

and edges that are in both G1 and G2.

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Example1.35

Figure1.18

Definition 1.36

Let G1= (V1, E1) and G2 = (V2, E2) be two simple graphs. Their join denoted by

G1 + G2consists of G1‫׫‬G2 and all lines joining each element of ଵ with each element of ଶ .

Example 1.37

Figure 1.19

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Definition 1.38

A set S of vertices in a graph G is said to be a dominating set if every vertex u ‫א‬V is

either an element of S or is adjacent to an element of S.

Definition 1.39

The domination number of a graph G, denoted byȯ(G), is the minimum cardinality of the

dominating sets in G.

Example 1.40

Figure 1.20

In the graph given in the Figure 1.20, ܵଵ = { ‫ݒ‬ଵ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ଷ }, ܵଶ = { ‫ݒ‬ଵ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ହ }, ܵଷ = { ‫ݒ‬ଶ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ଷ },

ܵସ = {‫ݒ‬ଶ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ସ },ܵହ = {‫ݒ‬ଶ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ହ },ܵ଺ = {‫ݒ‬ଷ ǡ ‫} ଻ݒ‬,ܵ଻ = {‫ݒ‬ସ ǡ ‫} ଻ݒ‬,଼ܵ = {‫ݒ‬ହ ǡ ‫ } ଻ݒ‬are the minimal dominating

sets of size 2, that isȯ(G) = 2.

Definition 1.41

An edge dominating set for a graph G = (V,E) is a subset D‫ك‬E such that every edge not

in D is adjacent to atleast one edge in D. An edge dominating set is also known as a line

dominating set.

Definition 1.42

The edge domination number of a graph G, denoted byȯୣ (G) is the minimum cardinality

of the edge dominating sets in G.

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Example 1.43

Figure 1.21

In the graph given in Figure 1.21,S1= {e1,e4},S2 = {e2,e5},S3 = {e3,e7},S4 = {e4,e7},

S5 = {e6,e8},S6 = {e7,e8}are the minimal edge dominating sets of size 2,that isȯୣ (G) = 2.

Definition 1.44

A dominating set S is a total dominating set if every vertex in S is adjacent to another

vertex of S.

Definition 1.45

The total domination number of a graph G, denoted by ȯ୲ (G) is the minimum cardinality

of the total dominating sets in G.

Example 1.46

Figure 1.22

In the graph given in Figure 1.22, ܵଵ ={‫ݒ‬ଶ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ହ }andܵଶ ={‫ݒ‬ସ ǡ ‫ݒ‬ହ }are the minimal total

dominating sets of size 2, that is ȯ୲ (G) = 2.

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Definition 1.47

Let G be a simple connected graph. A set S‫ك‬V is a k- dominating set or k- distance

dominating set if each element in V-S is atmost at a distance k from an element of S.

Definition 1.48

The k-domination number of a graph G, is the minimum cardinality of a k- dominating

set in G and it is denoted by ȯ୩ (G).

Example 1.49

G: (a) H: (b)

Figure 1.23

In the graph G given in figure1.23 (a), S = {‫ݒ‬଴ } is a 2-distance dominating set of size 1

and in the graph H given in figure1.23 (b), S = {‫ݒ‬ଶ ǡ ‫ } ଻ݒ‬is a 2-distance dominating set of size 2.

Therefore ȯଶ (G) = 1 and ȯଶ (H) = 2.

Definition 1.50

A wheel Wn is a graph with n+1vertices, obtained from a cycle Cn by adding a new vertex

and edges joining it to all vertices of the cycle.

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Example 1.51

W5:

Figure 1.24

Notation 1.52

The smallest integer greater than or equal to n is denoted by ‫ڿ‬n‫ ۀ‬and the largest integer

less than or equal to n is denoted by ‫ہ‬n‫ۂ‬. Also we denote the set {1, 2, 3, . . . ,n} by [n].

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